


Composure and Posture

by viceroyvonmutini



Series: LadiesofPOI-Kara Stanton (B) [2]
Category: Person of Interest (TV)
Genre: F/F, Guns, Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-01
Updated: 2015-05-01
Packaged: 2018-03-26 16:54:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3858019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/viceroyvonmutini/pseuds/viceroyvonmutini
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Flashes of yellow became a regular occurrence and Kara wondered if it had become a habit.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Composure and Posture

**Author's Note:**

> prompt: yellow
> 
> You must have seen this coming. With a prompt like that? It was too good to resist.

There were two things that got you killed in this type of work:

 1)   Incompetence. That got you shot by the enemy.

2)   Hesitation. That got you shot by your boss.

 Kara thought there might be a third category: Emotions got in the way, causing you to hesitate, to make mistakes-to be incompetent- and that got you killed.

Kara Stanton was affected by none of these things.

She prided herself on her efficiency, on her complete dedication to the task assigned to her. She asked no questions and did no wrong. She was the best at what she did.

John Reese was so-so: her words not his. He had such potential; he certainly wasn’t incompetent and he rarely hesitated. It was his Emotions that made him weak. He was so wrapped up in his feelings, in his _morals_ for god’s sake that it distracted him from the otherwise very enjoyable employment they had procured. Well, Kara thought so.

Kara Stanton was the best at what she did because no one matched her skill, her enthusiasm for her assignments. It gave her an edge, a unique flourish that made her just that much more eager to get results and Kara Stanton never failed through any fault of her own. Kara Stanton was not incompetent.

So when the next assignment came through sending the pair back New York Kara thought nothing of it. The target was one Jeremy Lambert, the man that had interfered with the Casey Situation a few months prior and making their job that much harder: both Kara and John agreed that this guy definitely deserved to be shot several times.

It was meant to be a simple job; they always were. She was the best after all. Sometimes she thought it might bore her, but then they’d get sent off to Bolivia to take over the drug trade and suddenly she would remember why she did the job she did.

But New York wasn’t meant to be one of those times. There wasn’t even meant to be a rocket launcher (John had vetoed that one on the grounds that it would be ‘too conspicuous for New York Kara’) so when Kara Stanton found herself crouched behind a shipping container as a rocket from a very conspicuous rocket launcher narrowly missed her head she silently cursed John and remembered quite specifically why she was the one in charge.

‘Tell me again why you banned the rocket launcher?’ she remarked into her coms.

_‘Not now Kara,_ ’ he gritted out.

‘Tell me you brought the grenades?’

_‘Prepping now Kara so shut up.’_

‘Am I ruining your stealth John?’

He didn’t bother responding eyes on the target.

‘Alright John let’s go,’ she ordered, slamming another magazine into her gun.

She didn’t have to wait long as a loud explosion detonated to her 11 o’ clock.

Kara immediately started moving heading towards the source of the grenade when she was pinned down by gunfire, sliding behind the nearest container back against the metal.

She leant out and shot some return fire.

The air was silent, Kara’s heavy breathing the only thing she could hear. She heard a few shots head her way followed by the muffled sound of footsteps. Kara stilled.

‘John,’ she whispered, ‘you’re on your own. I’ve got company.’

She came out from behind her cover advancing slowly with her gun raised.

‘Come out come out,’ she muttered, eyes scanning the darkness.

The scraping of heels alerted her to the enemy behind and she spun, gun trained on the female figure before her.

They stood gazing, guns raised carefully assessing each other: trained operative by the looks of her.

Kara didn’t like feeling so scrutinized.

‘You the bitch with the rocket launcher?’

‘You like it?’

‘Your aim is a bit off.’

‘What makes you think I was aiming for you?’

Kara raised an eyebrow.

‘You aimed to destroy the shipyard? Why?’

‘Redecorating.’

The two women smiled at each other over lethal weapons.

‘Where’s your dog?’

‘Who John? Taking out the trash. Why, worried about the boyfriend?’

‘Lambert? Probably already dead.’

‘You seem unconcerned.’

‘I have my own problems.’

Kara frowned as John’s voice travelled over coms.

_‘Kara we gotta move. We have a new target: Control wants us there now.’_

She sighed.

‘Unfortunately we’re going to have to cut this short and lucky for you that means you get to walk away from this encounter with nothing more than a stern warning about perhaps limiting your city redesigning plans.’

‘You think I’m going to let you leave?’

‘Either that or we both fire our guns and get shot resulting in us running back to our cover at which point I leave anyway. I’m not that bothered but I really don’t think you want to get shot.’

‘Actually, I don’t think I’m that bothered either.’

The shark grin sent her way sparked something Kara didn’t like because damn this woman was good and that was dangerously close to nicking a main artery. Her own shot missed its fatal target by a few millimeters as the women scrambled away from each other and the moment she was out of sight Kara ran.

‘Where are you John?’

‘ _You alright I heard gunfire?’_

‘Fine. Come pick me up and let’s get out of here before that blonde bitch decides to have another shot.’

_‘Meet you at the entrance to the yard.’_

Kara ignored the searing pain scorching across her collarbone and focused on getting to the extraction point.

Who the fuck was that blonde woman and when the hell could she get a shot through her smug little skull?

 

* * *

 

The mystery blonde was irrelevant. Kara’s orders were not to follow her, so she didn’t.  In fact she’d almost forgotten about the woman, reasoning that she must have been some mercenary for hire lucky to escape with her life though it didn’t quite fit the big picture, a picture Kara wasn’t privy too and had no intention of uncovering and thus threatening her life for the sake of a mysterious blonde.

Then she was sent to China with John to receive some laptop. That and take him out, but she wasn’t about to tell him that and as much as they worked well together Kara was good at her job and never missed and she’d be damned if she was about to hesitate now.

It was fairly routine: fly in, land in the drop zone, recover the laptop, shoot John and report back. At least it was meant to be. Things never really did work out the way they were meant to these days.

It had been going well: they were at the abandoned lab following a tracking signal on the laptop they’d been chasing for some months now. They took in the corpses littering the facility floors.

‘Looks like an execution,’ remarked John, pushing one of the bodies face up with his foot to reveal a single shot to center mass.

‘Cover up?’

‘Looks like it. Professional too.’

‘Eyes open John,’ instructed Kara lightly, not that it really mattered anyway who shot him so long as he was dead.

The two advanced slowly through the building tracking the signal Kara leading when a noise caught Kara’s ear coming from several floors up. She stopped and turned to John.

‘I’ll scan the top floors: someone’s here.’

John raised an eyebrow.

‘Want backup?’

‘No. Retrieve the laptop and meet out front. Keep coms open. Whoever did this is still here and I’d like to get some answers.’

John nodded and pressed the piece in his ear before heading over to the service stairs leading down.

‘ _Careful Kara.’_

‘You know I would never do anything reckless John.’

She smirked, not that John could see it, pulling out her handgun and advancing slowly up the white stairs to the upper lap floors.

_‘Find anything?’_

Kara was scouring a second floor lab glancing briefly at equipment she wasn’t fully familiar with.

‘Just some chemicals and a bunch of discarded papers.’

Something flashed in the corner of her eye and she could have sworn it was a streak of yellow.

Not one to ignore her own senses Kara stopped, scanning the surrounding area silently thanking the fates for glass windows on laboratories.

‘I know you’re there. Your billowing blonde hair gave you away,’ she called to seemingly nothing.

She thought she heard a bark of laughter.

‘Lovely to see you again Kara, how are things?’

Kara’s grip tightened on her gun as she pinpointed where the voice was coming from but did not indicate she had done so, content to stare straight ahead.

‘Wonderful actually just here for a little vacation and we’ll be on our way; I’m sorry I didn’t catch your name?’

‘Having your dog do the work for you?’ responded the blonde, casually ignoring Kara’s request for her name.

Kara didn’t push it. She was going to die anyway and Kara didn’t make a habit of learning the names of the people she killed.

‘I wanted to greet you personally. We have history after all. Unfortunately our last _date_ was cut a little…short.’

‘What a shame.’

The voice had shifted location and Kara simply followed with her ears, body tightening imperceptibly.

She saw the flash of a muzzle and instantly ducked behind the nearby lab bench as glass beakers shattered onto the ground, bullets entering the space she had once been.

Kara shot some blind fire over the edge of the lab bench to keep her assailant down assessing her options.

‘John,’ she muttered, ‘I have company; that blonde one from the shipyard? She’s here.’

_‘I have the laptop. I’m heading up the service stairs now.’_

The room was silent, the two women waiting for one to make a move.

Kara bit the bullet.

‘So, what do you do?’

‘Shooting mostly. And you?’

Kara knew she had just given away her position but stayed put, eying the metal door that led to the service stairs behind her position.

‘Shooting, bombs: I like to branch out. Torture if I’m lucky.’

She heard the telltale shuffle of clothing and new the other woman was closing in. Still she held firm.

‘John get your ass up here now,’ she whispered as her assailant responded to the light conversation.

‘It can get so boring don’t you think?’

_‘I’m on your floor.’_

Kara didn’t bother responding to John: they’d worked together long enough now they were seamless as a team. She would miss him, she mused.

‘Especially when your opponent can’t shoot straight: takes all the fun away,’ taunted Kara.

She heard shots fired to her location and ran for the service door as John let out cover fire.

‘Let’s go John,’ ordered Kara, already halfway down the first flight of stairs.

‘That the one from before?’

‘Yeah.’

‘Why was she here?’

‘I don’t know. But that’s not our problem. Did you get the laptop.’

‘Of course.’

‘Let’s ditch the blonde and go find a place to camp for a quiet night then shall we?’

 

* * *

 

Getting blown up by your employer really messes you up thought Kara as she sat dressed on the edge of her hospital bed.

Being told you’ll have your revenge really kicks you into action.

Still, she still had to do something for the enigmatic ‘Mr. Greer’ _: quid pro quo_ he called it. She called it working for free, something she bitterly resented.

All she had to do was infect a server with a virus by whatever means necessary and complete a few ‘side-missions’ for the entity known as Decima who had apparently saved her life. For now she was content to comply ‘til she worked her way out of this.

So she sat perched on the end of the metal bed glancing around the sparse hospital room that looked half abandoned. The swinging doors opened and Kara watched passively as her old friend smirked her way.

‘Hello Kara.’

She came to a stop just before her and Kara stood up, her height giving her a little edge.

‘Ah yes, blonde bitch with the rocket launcher and remarkably bad aim. With a shot like that I’m surprised Greer still employs you.’

‘So rude to the person who pulled you out of that burning wreck.’

‘You knew I was about to get shot with a missile form my own government and decided _not_ to tell me?’

The blonde shrugged.

‘We were enemies. But considering we’re now friends Greer has an assignment and it looks like we’ll be working together for the foreseeable future.’

The two headed towards the doors, the shorter woman leading the way Kara still on her guard.

‘And where are we going?’

‘Vegas.’

Kara was led to the weaponry and spotted her handgun immediately moving to check and holster the weapon.

‘And what should I call you now that we’re so called friends?’

‘Martine will do.’

Kara quirked a smile.

‘Let’s go Martine: I’ll try not to accidentally shoot you in the back,’ she called as she strode out into the dark back alley outside.

‘And I’ll try not accidentally shoot you in the eye Kara Stanton.’

The flight over was rather uneventful though the presence of her babysitter did more than simply irk Kara. Always two steps behind through the airport and customs, face stone and shark-like batting away Kara’s playful conversation with biting quips of her own. It was the opposite of John, she mused, always so stoic and unresponsive. He was never any fun.

She supposed he was dead now.

Well, at least she had completed her mission.

Some part of her probably missed him: they did work well together after all, but not enough to feel guilt at shooting him. Besides, she was having far more fun 30,000 feet in the air drinking champagne in first class next to the ever-present Martine than cooped in a small hotel room drinking cheap scotch with the ever-depressive John.

The casino-hotel complex they arrived at was lavish and they checked in to a twin suite, expansive in nature and enough space for each to keep their distance.

‘Who’s the target?’ inquired Kara, chucking her weapons onto her bed as she unpacked. Martine chucked her a file and she caught it deftly.

‘Timothy Lim: CEO and Chief Software Designer at Enteron. He’s meeting with a few investors to demonstrate a chip he’s been developing. We want that chip.’

‘So are we getting the official way or the unofficial way?’ asked Kara, absentmindedly flicking through the thin file.

Martine quirked an eyebrow and lifted her shotgun from her bag. Kara smirked.

‘Excellent.’

‘We’ll take out the security feeds downstairs and put them on a loop. It should give us at least half an hour to get in and get out before someone notices.

‘Am I to assume this chip is guarded?’

‘What do you think?’

‘No need for that tone _Martine._ ’

‘No need for obvious questions _Kara.’_

Kara busied herself checking her ammo before holstering two guns in the waistband of her jeans and pulling on her coat.

‘I’ll take out the cameras. On my mark you’ll be clear to head in: I’ll join you up there.’

‘You’ll miss out the action,’ teased the blonde.

‘You looked kind of fond of that shotgun: thought you’d want to use it,’ shot back Kara as she slammed shut the door.

Once outside she sighed heavily before heading downstairs.

Waiting for the security guards to clear out for the night shift rotation Kara slid her way in and plugged in the memory stick, setting up a loop on the system.

‘You’re clear.’

‘ _About time; do you always take this long?’_

‘Do you always miss you target?’ she shot back, taking the memory stick and swiftly heading to Martine’s location.

‘I’m heading up now. How’s it looking?’

_‘Got the chip but it set off security.’_

‘Window?’

_’15 floors up Kara.’_

‘I’m on the 12th. How many?’

_‘5. Two already down.’_

‘Are you even using a silencer?’

_‘Is that really your main concern right now?’_

‘What you think I cared about your life?’

_‘A little concern goes a long way.’_

‘Alright Blondie I’m on your floor.’

 Kara headed towards the sound of gunfire and took out the two men shooting through the hotel room door, flanking the remaining three pinning Martine down.

‘Hey Blondie let’s go,’ she called over the gunfire now directed at her and she jumped behind the nearest wall for cover as Martine stood up and fired two solid shotgun rounds killing one of the men.

Kara took care of the other two and the two hightailed out of there, taking the liberty of starting a fire in their room to erase their presence.

‘Well that didn’t go to plan,’ remarked Kara.

‘Greer, we have it.’

Martine stepped away from Kara and she watched, eyes roaming the figure of the woman as she explained the situation to Greer.

Kara liked working with her. Okay, ‘like’ was a strong word, but she didn’t _not_ like it. She was fun in a way John wasn’t and despite holding the unofficial title of babysitter she didn’t feel so much like a ball and chain as John.

Martine returned.

‘So am I to be shot yet?’

‘Unfortunately those aren’t my orders. We have another assignment: Vietnam.’

‘I thought I was meant to be planting a virus. What’s with the side-missions?’

‘Can’t plant a virus without the parts Kara.’

Kara shrugged.

‘As long as I get my revenge I don’t care. So: Vietnam. What’s the deal on Human Rights over there?’

The grin Martine gave her rivaled her own and Kara wondered whether they might just have a bit of fun yet.

 

* * *

 

‘Just tell me what I want to know and you can go,’ chided Kara calmly wiping the blood from her knife.

The man simply whimpered naked and bound to a chair, blood indistinguishable from the dirt and sweat that caked his skin under the dim electric light.

Kara sighed.

‘Honestly we only want a location.’

‘Why don’t you try the pliers?’ called a voice from the shadows. Kara turned towards it.

‘That’s so boring and brutish. Do you have no finesse?’

Martine stepped forward and headed over towards the victim, sliding out her gun from the waistband of her pants. Kara simply watched, content with letting the woman have her turn.

‘Where are the blueprints?’ she asked nicely enough.

‘I. Don’t. Know!’ the man shouted.

Martine pressed the muzzle of her gun against a cut against his shoulder placed there by Kara and he winced, pressure enough to cause a yell.

‘Yes you do.’

‘I don’t!’

Martine fired and the man screamed as the bullet tore through his flesh. She moved the gun to his breast, just above his left nipple muzzle sliding across grimy skin, smearing blood and flesh.

‘I’ll ask again. The blueprints?’

The man was too busy going into shock to give an answer and Martine sighed.

‘This is a waste of our time.’

She shot him again just for good measure and the man’s screams echoed.

‘Oh really do you have to be so loud,’ complained Kara, ‘Martine, you have blood in your hair it’s gross.’

Martine pulled back and glanced down at her locks hanging free, ends tinged with red and dirt; she frowned.

‘Great.’

‘Pity, your hair was looking good today.’

‘Thanks.’

‘Blonde suits you.’

‘I was thinking of dying it brown.’

Kara shook her head, walking forward and taking a few strands in her hand letting her fingers run through before dropping the hair and focusing on the victim.

‘Don’t: it looks nice,’ she replied, eyes on the target, who whimpered as she stared him down.

Martine shrugged.

Kara knelt down.

‘This is the last time we’ll ask. The blueprints. Please.’

‘Why?’ he spat, ‘you’ll kill me anyway.’

‘Probably. But if you tell us: I’ll kill you, not her. And her aim isn’t great at the best of times.’

The man swallowed, eying Martine warily.

‘The warehouse.’

‘Where?’

‘The main one: Chile. Santiago. Please okay that’s all I know.’

‘Really that wasn’t so hard,’ remarked Kara lightly as she drew her weapon and shot him point blank in the head, blood speckling her hair and face.

She stood up.

‘I guess we’re going to Chile then.’

Martine nodded.

The two headed out of the warehouse.

‘I won’t dye my hair,’ Martine affirmed.

Kara nodded.

‘Good. I like it blonde. I can see where you are that way.’

 

* * *

 

‘This is ridiculous,’ called Kara over the heavy gunfire, ‘how could you fuck up _this_ badly?’

‘This is not my fault!’ shouted back Martine as the two hid behind adjacent lab benches.

‘ _You_ set off the alarms. Again.’

‘And you blew your cover! If you hadn’t blown your cover I wouldn’t have had to come in and rescue you.’

‘I had it under control you act as if I couldn’t have broken my way out of that cell.’

‘This is time sensitive Kara we don’t have the luxury of you getting caught. It was quicker. And I don’t hear you saying ‘thank you for rescuing me Martine’ by the way.’

‘A rescue?’ responded Kara incredulously, killing one of their assailants raining bullets on them before crouching once more to reload, ‘you call this a rescue?’

‘I call this getting the job done.’

‘Do you even have the device?’

‘It’s in the next room: I was too busy saving you to get it.’

Kara shook her head.

‘Alright Blondie let’s go.’

Martine shot her a look but complied, moving to flank the remaining assailants as Kara kept them busy. She saw the telltale flash of yellow as Martine stood up and rendered 3 of the 7 dead as Kara advanced and took out the remaining four distracted by Martine’s presence.

Kara advanced on Martine.

‘Next time, don’t bother coming to get me,’ she accused before heading to the back room and retrieving the device.

‘Next time, don’t get caught’ shot back Martine close behind Kara and Kara spun round, eyes narrowing.

‘Watch it Blondie; I was starting to like you but you jeopardize the mission like that again and I might just shoot you in the back.’

Martine took a step forward and Kara was vaguely reminded of a shark as those predatory eyes locked on.

‘You compromise this operation again by getting caught and I won’t hesitate to return the favour.’

‘Your aim is as a good as a 7 year old with a nerf gun.’

Martine whipped her pistol up and pushed the muzzle against Kara’s jaw causing Kara’s head to tilt up as she looked down at Martine’s hard eyes.

‘So Blondie has some bite,’

‘You doubt my ability to shoot you?’

Kara stared long and hard into those eyes and what she saw she definitely liked.

She grinned.

‘Absolutely not.’

Martine seemed satisfied with the answer, eyes flashing with just a hint of enjoyment before she lowered her weapon and grabbed the device out of Kara’s limp hand.

‘Come on. We’re heading to London.’

Kara didn’t move, content to watch Martine saunter off through the wreckage of their previous assault and she found she liked the way the yellow ponytail swung behind the woman’s slim figure as she shot one of the downed men for good measure.

Kara started walking.

She was definitely starting to like this woman.

 

* * *

 

‘I know I said I was starting to like you,’ hissed Kara as the two women swayed in time with the slow beat, ‘but don’t you think we’re moving a little fast?’

‘I’m not exactly happy with this either Kara,’ retorted the woman, tugging Kara closer to at least make this look a little more believable, ‘do you see her?’

‘By the bar: what do we want?’

‘Security card.’

‘Okay how do you want to play this?’ mumbled Kara into Martine’s ear as they slow danced their way closer to their mark, mouth brushing yellow strands of hair.

‘I was thinking classic drink spill?’

‘Or we could just approach them?’

Was that Kara’s imagination or did Martine’s grip on her waist tighten as the breath ghosted over her ear.

‘Yeah. Let’s do that.’

Kara pulled away and Martine’s face schooled itself into something more approachable as they headed over to the mark and ordered a drink at the bar.

‘Two,’ Kara glanced over at their lone mark, ‘no, make that three tequila shots.’

The mark raised an eyebrow.

‘Don’t worry I’m not hitting on you,’ Kara gestured to Martine next to her, ‘I’m already spoken for. You just looked a lonely and in need of cheering up.’

The mark shrugged.

‘Yeah you could say that. You guys from America?’

‘Yeah we’re over for a little vacation: see the sights of London and all. Romantic get together.’

While Kara entertained the mark Martine quickly grabbed the security card they needed and waited patiently for the conversation to end.

‘…But we moved to New York recently,’ finished Kara.

‘And are you two married or…?’

Martine snorted and Kara shot her a look.

‘It’s…complicated.’

The mark looked back at Martine.

‘You should tie her down you know, she won’t wait forever.’

Martine raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

‘Well it was lovely meeting you both but really after those tequila shots I should probably head out.’

Kara flashed her a smile.

‘Nice meeting you too.’

They waved goodbye to the mark and Martine slid closer to Kara, ordering a double shot of vodka.

‘I cannot believe I had to sit through that.’

‘But we’re in _love_ Blondie, can’t you see?’

Kara fluttered her eyelids dramatically and Martine focused on her drink.

‘We got what we came for. We should head out.’

Martine stalked out weaving her way through the crowd and Kara followed.

 

* * *

 

Kara readied her weapons, packing a black bag full of ammunition, explosives, grenades and a few other toys.

She heard the door close behind her and spun round.

‘Blondie,’ she smirked.

Martine stood, arms folded across her chest watching as Kara finished packing up.

‘Planning on taking our entire arsenal with you?’

‘You never know when your next weapons stash is coming from. So,’ Kara swung the bag over her shoulder, ‘here to wish me good bye?’

‘Heard you’re finally getting your revenge.’

Kara shrugged.

‘Plant the virus, get revenge: all the same really.’

Kara walked towards the door, stopping level with Martine as they faced each other.

‘Good luck with your plans for world domination,’ quipped Kara, unsure of what else to say.

‘Good luck with your plans of revenge against the entire American government.’

‘Gotta aim high.’

Martine cracked a smile at that.

Kara pushed open the door but stopped briefly.

‘Bye Blondie. Try not to get killed.’

Kara left.

 

* * *

 

There were two things that got you killed in this type of work:

 1)   Incompetence. That got you shot by the enemy.

2) Hesitation. That got you shot by your boss.

 Kara thought there might be a third category: emotions. Emotions got in the way, causing you to hesitate, to make mistakes-to be incompetent- and that got you killed.

Kara Stanton was affected by none of these things.

But if she saw fleeting yellow around every corner, then that wasn’t something she was about to address.

And if she wondered when Greer would tire of Martine, wondered when it would be Martine she would be working with again she didn’t let herself dwell.

If John’s abrupt return into her life did little to shake images of flashing yellow and a very hefty shotgun she chose to blame it on the fact that trying to kill him may have put a dent in their relationship.

And if Martine’s shoulders tensed at the news of Kara’s demise it wasn’t as if there was anyone else there to comment on it. 


End file.
